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Antiochian Jacobite Group attacked assistant vicar of parish Church of Trisoor Diocese

- Mor Meletius Yuhanon Metropolitan, Thrissur (Orthodox Church of the East )

Elanadu St.Mary's Church near Thrissur was under RDO (Revenue DivisionalOfficer) custody for over three decades and both parties (Catholicos faction andPatriarchal faction of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church ) were taking turnsfor worship. There was an agreement on the matter between the two factions and ajoint petition was filed in 1996 and there was an order from the court that anelection be held according to the 1934 constitution (constitution of theMalankara Syrian Orthodox Church ) and the committee thus elected should begiven the key of the Church by the RDO. Thus election was held and a managingcommittee was elected. The court directed the RDO to hand over the key of theChurch to the newly elected managing committee. The committee unanimouslyrequested the RDO to hand over the key to the vicar. In the mean time thetrustee elected changed his mind and joined the Patriarch faction and he filedan objection that the key should be given to him.

There were aboutfifty families with him in a four hundred family parish. They formed aAntiochian Syrian Jacobite Simhasana Church and built a Church building in thenear vicinity. The committee and the vicars defended the case saying the keyshould be given to the vicar as per the unanimous decision of the committee.Last month (September) the Kerala high court ordered the RDO to hand over thekey to the vicar as per the request of the committee. But the RDO still delayed.

Finally the village officer who had the key handed over thekey on last Sunday (26-10-2008) afternoon. We opened the church and prayed. OnMonday (27-10-2008) we conducted a thri-mass. After the mass the assistant vicarFr. Mathew Jacob Puthussery who is also the diocesan secretary and SabhaManaging Committee member was on his way to Thrissur. Few people in a carfollowed him and knocked him down from his motor cycle. They had on severaloccasions threatened him over phone that he will be killed. Then they attackedhurting him seriously. He is admitted in the hospital with head injury.

The police has identified the car and has taken in to custody.The owner of the car and his brother who are the erstwhile members of ElanaduOrthodox Church and who later joined Antiochian Syrian Jacobite party are hidingthemselves from police. The police is searching for them. Earlier when the courtorder came we had offered few lakhs of Rupees and a share in the cemetery forthem if they do not make any problem in the Church. They had time and againcreated problem during H.Qurbana on Sundays and Perunnal days. Thue Churchauthorities have expressed concern over the incident.